


A Lesson in Gastronomy

by inmyfashion



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: AU, Barry is a chef, Except for the power to make people hungry, F/M, Iris is a food reporter, No one has superpowers, There's sex in this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-23
Updated: 2017-10-23
Packaged: 2019-01-21 22:54:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12467796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inmyfashion/pseuds/inmyfashion
Summary: Westallen AU. Executive Chef Barry Allen meets intrepid reporter Iris West, and she learns about gastronomy.





	A Lesson in Gastronomy

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Shaloved30](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shaloved30/gifts).



> repost of this story with some minor adjustments. I hope you enjoy it.

**A Lesson in Gastronomy at _The Scientist_**

By Iris A. West

May 16, 2015

 

I’ll admit, I was completely skeptical about the new gastropub, _The Scientist_ , on the corner of Main and Fifth Avenue. My colleagues have been raving about the place since its doors opened just three weeks ago. (How some of them made it in before I did, I’ll never know.) There are lines out of the door waiting for bar service every evening. There’s already a three month wait for reservations in the main room, and there’s been no shortage of press for the location thus far. I’ve received numerous requests for a review as your most trust food reviewer (a badge I wear with pride and a little bit of trepidation.) To be honest, I was wholly uninterested in _The Scientist_ for many reasons, the most poignant being my belief on its pretentiousness.

 

And as you all know, I loathe pretentious food.

 

A gastropub in Central City? The idea of this annoyed me to no end. We’re a city of karaoke bars, dive bars, middle of the road (yet really fantastic) restaurants, and a handful of high end places that can’t quite seem to stay open. So, a gastropub just seemed unnecessary to me. High end, high priced bar food? 

 

Not for this woman. No thank you.

 

So, it was kicking and screaming that I joined my good friend Felicity Smoak, CEO of Smoak Screen Industries, for dinner at said gastropub. (She likes to consider herself something of a “foodie” and because I like her a lot, I let her use that atrocious word.) We didn’t have a long wait; Felicity credited this to me, but I think that was more her doing than mine. The interior of the pub is as expected—dark wood, clean lines, masculine in the way that’s understated and appreciated. The thing that surprised me is how much lighting there is. I know that’s a strange tidbit to point out, but it’s a beautiful touch. Exposed lightbulbs hang over the bar where they serve far too many craft beers to choose from and an extensive amount of speciality cocktails—including a particularly potent gin and tonic on tap. Felicity is more into wine, and we were not at all disappointed by the vast wine menu. It seems as though _The Scientist_ has its own well appointed cellar.

 

We sit toward the back the restaurant. There’s a din in the room that tapers off and on, but it is not entirely unpleasant. It feels warm and inviting. So far, I’m pleasantly surprised.

 

As we’re handed menus, that feeling of dread returns before I even have a chance to look. Will it be filled with experimental dishes that are hard to pronounce? The place is called _The Scientist_ after all. Once again, I’m pleasantly surprised. The menu boasts local specialities with a little added flare, and a price point that’s acceptable to Central City. 

 

Felicity and I start with the Pomme Frites (adding Truffles to it, because, why not?). The fries and the ketchup are made in-house, and they are spectacular. (Also the Five-Cheese Mac ’n’ Cheese, The Haven Burger, and the Cassoulet are must-have dishes. Trust me.)

 

The menu itself contains dishes from house made potato chips (a completely different potato experience than the Pomme Frites) to Wagyu New York au poivre. _The Scientist_ , I came to find, is indeed an experiment of tastes catering to the customer as opposed to the whim of the head chef.

 

Speaking of, I didn’t get the opportunity to meet the head chef. The restaurant was so busy, no one got to see him, regardless of how many requests were made. 

 

Head Chef Barry Allen was trained at the Culinary Institute of America, in Austin, Texas. There’s little else I know about the man, save for what his business partner and long time before friend, Cisco Ramon, could tell me. 

 

“Barry’s always been passionate about food,” Cisco says, gesticulating widely. His smile is one of pride and a little awe as he looks around the restaurant. “This is exactly the type of thing we thought about when we wanted to start a restaurant. Just a neighborhood place where you could get good food and drinks.”

 

“And who named the place?” I asked.

 

Cisco smirks and at me, his eyebrows shooting upwards. “That would be me. I’m the one that names things.”

 

He won’t tell me what _The Scientist_ is a nod to other than to say that cooking is an art as much as it is a science, but I have a feeling there’s a little more to it than that. 

 

Felicity and I finish off our evening with a truly decadent glass of Italian dessert wine and a warm chocolate cake with a berry compote. All in all, it’s an excellent meal, at an excellent price with no sign of pretentiousness around. 

 

I will gladly say that my first impression was wholly wrong. I can’t recommend this more highly, Central City. I have a feeling you’ll probably see me quite a lot at our new gastropub, _The Scientist_. 

 

_-IW_

 

 

 

“Not a bad, article, am I right?” Cisco lowers the paper to catch Barry’s eye. “You should’ve come out and met her though. She was…she is gorgeous. I think that would’ve set the article over the top.”

 

Barry shakes his head sighs. “We were too busy that night, Cisco. It’s not a big deal anyway. She gave us a good review. That’s really all that matters.”

 

“Could’ve been better.”

 

Barry laughs and turns back to prepping the vegetables for the evening. He knows he should leave them for his sous chef, but it’s early still and he’s a ball of a unused energy. The restaurant is about to complete its first full month of being open and so far, things have been going very well. He didn’t expect it, but he’d hoped.

 

“Seriously, Barry. You’re excellent in the kitchen, but you need to go out and start greeting people. Trust your hand-picked kitchen staff to do the job you hired them to do.” Cisco moves around the prep counter, placing a gentle hand on Barry’s shoulder. “It’s good for business to show your face. Don’t get so caught up back here tonight, okay?”

 

Barry stops chopping to look over at his friend. “I’ll try, but that’s really why you’re here, right? I mean, Cisco, you’re way better with people than I am. That’s why you’re the business side, man.”

 

“Well, too bad. You’re the executive chef. The man behind the curtain that everyone wants to meet.”

 

“And they’ll probably be disappointed just like in _The Wizard of Oz_.”

 

Cisco sighs. “Don’t count yourself out yet, man. Besides, I have it on good authority that Iris West will be back tonight to try out the bar service. Talk to her, maybe she’ll do a blog post.”

 

“But she already did an article, so…” Barry tapers off, shrugging his shoulders and going back to his prep work.

 

Cisco throws his hands up. “I’m so glad I handle the business side. Look, just go talk to her tonight if she comes in, please?”

 

“I can’t just walk up to her while she’s eating, that’s weird right?”

 

“That’s what chefs do, Barry. Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of introductions.”

 

B&I B&I B&I

 

Iris walked into _The Scientist_ and was taken aback by the immediate sense of relief. It’d been a grueling day of deadlines at newspaper. Her main article, while not ground breaking news, is fun and journalistic enough to keep her from chomping at the bit, but she craves more—harder hitting news, exclusives, and notable stories. 

 

Though the ‘eating her way around Central City’ part of her job isn’t so terrible.

 

Iris manages to get to the bar early enough she’s able to get a seat at the corner of the bar, a tiny alcove designed for one that allows her to overlook the entirety of the restaurant. She smiles happily at the hipster bartender and asks for a glass ‘Gin and Tonic on tap’, deciding that her day called for something harder than her usual glass of wine. 

 

“Well hello again, Iris.”

 

She looks up from her menu to see Cisco setting her drink before her. His broad smile adds to his attractiveness; its guilelessness makes it even more so. 

 

“Hello again, Cisco. How are you?”

 

He shrugs. “Can’t complain. Business is still really great. Thanks for the wonderful review.”

 

“Hey, I’m just doing my job. You’ve got a great thing going here.”

 

Cisco’s eyes grow wide and his smile is even brighter. “I couldn’t be happier to hear it. Would you like to start with the Pomme Frites again? It’s on the house.”

 

Iris nods. “I never turn down free food.”

 

B&I B&I B&I

 

 

“Your girl is here.” Cisco sing-songs as he bursts through the kitchen doors. “Can I get an order of Pomme Frites on the fly, please?”

 

Cisco’s request is repeated twice in the kitchen as he turns to look at Barry, an expectant grin on his face. 

 

Barry finishes cleaning off a plate before handing it down to the expediter. “What? Who?” he asks distractedly.

 

“Iris. We talked about this man, the one you need to meet tonight. She wrote a nice review, you need to say thank you.”

 

“For real?” Barry’s voice gets a little high at the end. He shakes his head and looks back down the line at the plates lined up there. “I don’t know, Cisco. I mean, we’re slammed in here tonight and—”

 

“Five minutes, Barry. Five minutes to chat and say hello to a really beautiful woman that gave us a great review in the paper most read by the people come here. You can do it, buddy.” He turns toward the kitchen staff, “how long on the Pommes Frites?”

 

“Three minutes, Mr. Ramon,” a clear voice answers.

 

Cisco turns to Barry. “I’ll be back in three minutes. It’s always nice to greet someone with food, I think.”

 

B&I B&I B&I

 

Iris smirks as she looks around the bar. She’s always been observant when it comes to people, a by-product of being a journalist, she thinks. It’s interesting to see how first dates differ from tenth dates, differ from ‘we’re about to break up and I can’t stand looking at you any longer’ dates. She picks up her tumbler and takes a healthy sip before catching movement out of the corner of her eye. 

 

She sees Cisco walking in her direction with a tall, lanky man who appears to want to be anywhere but where he currently is. He has in a chef’s jacket that is crisp white, not a hint of food splatter to be seen. 

 

“Iris,” Cisco begins, his sunbeam face making her smile. “I’d like to introduce you to Barry Allen, executive chef, and my business partner.”

 

“Hello Barry,” Iris sticks out her hand and broadens her smile. “I’m Iris West. It’s really great to meet you.”

 

Barry clumsily sets down the plate of Pomme Frites in front of her before reaching out for her hand. His heart beats faster as he engulfs her tiny hand in his own. She’s warm and soft, and he wonders if her skin is that soft and warm all over. 

 

He pulls his hand back abruptly, his face filling with color. “It’s—uh—it’s really nice to meet you, Iris. I’m Barry, but you already know that. And I’m the executive chef here, but you know that to.” He looks down at the floor, taking a deep breath before he looks back at Iris. Her head tilts to the side, a small smile playing at her lips. 

 

“I’m really glad I’m getting to meet you. I wanted to tell you the last time I was here how wonderful everything is. I especially love the mac and cheese.”

 

Barry walks closer to the bar, his hands resting on the decoratively scarred wood. “I’m really glad. And thank you for the review. I think it’s helped out business.”

 

Iris shakes her head. “I honestly don’t think you needed my help. The quality of the food and drink would bring people here regardless of what I wrote.”

 

Barry shrugs. “Perhaps. But, I’m certain it didn’t hurt.” He lets himself lean down on the bar a bit getting closer to her. It’s almost involuntary, this need to be in her space. “Are you planning on ordering the mac and cheese again tonight?”

 

Iris nods quickly, her eyes lighting in a way that makes Barry’s breath catch. “Oh yes,” she practically groans and it makes Barry straighten up from his leaning position; the sound playing provocatively along his spine.

 

“Do you have any allergies to shellfish?” he asks her, his fingers dancing along the lip of the bar.

 

Iris shakes her head. “Nope. Why? Are you going to make something special for me?”

 

“Yeah,” Barry releases the word on a breath. “I’ve got an idea or two. Don’t go anywhere.”

 

She smirks at him and picks up a Pomme Frites. He watches her eat for a moment before thinking that maybe that won’t help the current feeling that’s settling low in his stomach. He turns abruptly, nearly running into Cisco who’s been watching the whole time—a knowing grin stuck on his face.

 

B&I B&I B&I

 

Barry goes back to the kitchen and for once, he lets his staff handle the dinner rush. They are capable and skilled—and he has a beautiful reporter to impress. He sets to work on creating the roux for the mac and cheese while going over to the walk-in for the fresh lobster that arrived that morning. 

 

“I thought that lobster was going to be for us to celebrate our successful month?”

 

Barry turns quickly to see Cisco over his shoulder. Barry winces slightly, looking incredibly ridiculous holding the dripping lobster in his hand.

 

“You’re right, Cisco, I’m sorry, I—”

 

Cisco’s laugh interrupts Barry and he stares at his best friend for a moment. “Dude, I would totally do the same thing. Don’t worry. We can get some more lobster. Go impress your girl with your skills.”

 

“She’s not my girl,” Barry mutters, shifting his weight back and forth. 

 

“Not yet. I think you’re in there. Just relax and do what you know how to do, which is cook. You were only slightly awkward, but somehow I think she enjoys that. Ooh!” Cisco exclaims following Barry out of the walk-in. “Make sure you offer to take her on a tour of the kitchen. She’ll probably like that.”

 

Barry throws a look at his friend. “It’s too busy in the kitchen tonight for tours. I think we’d just be in the way.”

 

“Offer to do it after the restaurant closes.”

 

“That’s not for another three hours! How am I supposed to get her to stay around until then? And isn’t that—I don’t know? Sort of creepy. I mean, we just met.”

 

“Yeah, you just met and you both lingered. There was lingering. And looks. The last time I saw you that dumbstruck was with that awful Becky girl. I barely know Iris, and I already like her better than Becky, so why not, you know, give it a go?”

 

“Cisco, we’re too busy right now with all of this to get involved, regardless of how I feel about her. Which is so stupid to even say. I just met her! And yes, she’s gorgeous, and her smile is incredible and she’s so soft it makes me wonder if—”

 

Barry stops abruptly, his hand pausing from chopping up the lobster. He turns to look at Cisco, taking in the smug smile that doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon. “Yeah, okay, fine. But, how do I get her to stay for three hours until we close?”

 

“You can ask her,” Cisco enunciates slowly. “Tell her you want to give her a tour of the kitchen since you weren’t able to meet her the first time she came in. Ooh, and offer to make her a dessert. She and her friend killed that chocolate thing the last time.”

 

Barry nods. “Okay, I’ll try it. Thanks, Cisco.”

 

“Hey, what are friends for?”

 

B&I B&I B&I

 

 

Iris smiles a ‘thank you’ at the bartender as he sets another gin and tonic in front of her and looks longingly down at the empty plate before her. She smiles thinking about Chef Barry Allen. He’s too cute for words; handsome, a little shy, but there’s something mildly devilish there as well. A tiny spark she could see in his eyes when he smirked at her. She hadn’t felt that in a long time and it gave her pause, but also made her excited. 

 

“I can see you hated the Pomme Frites,” Barry’s voice calls out breaking into her reverie. 

 

She smiles, then groans as the warm, gooey scent of mac and cheese hits her. 

 

“Oh wow,” Iris sits back in her chair and takes in the ramekin overflowing with still bubbling cheese and bits of lobster. “Did you make me lobster mac and cheese?”

 

Barry leans into the bar again, this time moving farther into her space. Iris leans in too, feeling the need to be nearer to him. 

 

“I did. It may eventually make it onto the menu as a permanent variation of the mac and cheese, but that’s entirely up to you.”

 

Iris tilts her head. “Up to me?”

 

“Mhmm.” Barry leans over and picks up her fork dipping it into the dish and pulling out a good size chunk of lobster and macaroni. He raises it to her mouth, an expectant look on his face. “It’s still really hot, be careful.”

 

Iris looks into his eyes; they’re a darker green and hold even more of that devilment that has her on edge. She decides in that moment that two can play this game, whatever it may actually be. She leans into the offered bite, purses her lips together and blows a steady stream of air across the steaming bite.

 

Barry’s mouth drops open a bit as he watches her lean forward, her plush mouth closing around the fork, teeth and tongue scraping and licking at the gooey mixture so that none of it remains on the tines of the fork. 

 

He grips the bar harder as she lets out a little gasp and moans. 

 

“Hmm.” Iris sighs contentedly. She takes her time finishing the bite, her eyes never leaving his. “That is amazing. I mean, it was already good, but the lobster just puts it over the top.”

 

Iris smiles at the slightly dazed look on his face. _Score one for Iris_. 

 

“I’m glad you like it,” the timbre of his voice is lower and hits her in a way that makes her squirm slightly in her chair. “I’ll let you finish then.” He hands her the fork and grins broadly at her. “If you’re interested, I’d love to show you the kitchen later. It’s a little busy right now, but maybe I you’ll stay around, order up some dessert?”

 

Iris's grin matches his own as she nods at him. “I’d love that.”

 

B&I B&I B&I

 

The next few hours are simultaneously fast and slow for Iris and Barry. Barry visits at regular intervals, bringing out a cheese and charcuterie board laden with various in house-cured meats and an ash rubbed gouda that makes Iris hum in pleasure. 

 

Barry’s face infuses with color at the sound, and he quickly excuses himself from the bar. Iris laughs lightly as she watches him trip away, but she isn’t the least bit sorry to know she can coax that reaction from him. 

 

The bar and restaurant crowds start to thin as it grows closer to closing time. The bartender brings her a glass of Ice Wine, a Chenin Blanc, that he says will go great with the dessert chef ordered for her.

 

A few moments later, Barry arrives again with a plate that’s the most interesting of anything she’s seen so far.

 

“You know, you’re absolutely spoiling me, right? I’m never going to be able to have a regular meal again.”

 

Barry smirks and sets the plate down in front of her. “That wouldn’t be so bad, would it? Having to get all your meals from me?”

 

Iris doesn’t know why, but that particular thought makes her clench her thighs together and makes her breath speed up. 

 

“So,” Iris breathes out with a smirk, “what is all of this, Chef Allen?”

 

Barry’s eyes grow wide, his heart stuttering for a split second, before turning his attention to the plate. He points to the artfully places chocolate bar. 

 

“This is a banana rocky road bar. Rocky road is my favorite ice cream flavor and I just thought it’d be really amazing as a chocolate bar. With the banana, it’s almost like a sundae in chocolate form.”

 

Iris snaps a piece of the chocolate bar off and tosses it into her mouth. She manages to bite back a moan at the last minute, not wanting to overplay her hand, but it is exceptionally good. He blushes when he tells her this.

 

“This here,” he points to the fanciest funnel cake she’s ever seen, “is one of my favorite fair foods. It reminds me of Ferris wheels and cotton candy and sticky fingers of confectioner’s sugar. Of course, I had to add a little something to it that I can’t tell you about, but it goes excellently with the chocolate espresso sauce.”

 

Barry tries (and utterly fails) not to notice how good Iris's tongue looks as she licks the mixture of chocolate and confectioner’s sugar from thumb and forefinger. 

 

“This looks like bacon,” Iris states after she finally completes licking her fingers clean. 

 

“It is. Bacon brittle to be exact.”

 

She screws up her a face a little and Barry laughs. “Don’t knock it until you try it. Sweet and savory may be my favorite food combination ever.”

 

This time Barry breaks off a piece and brings it up to her lips. They both pause in that moment knowing what this could mean if she leans forward slightly and takes this bite from his fingers.

 

Iris leans forward and grabs Barry’s wrist, bringing the bacon brittle to her mouth, letting her lips close around the morsel, her tongue lightly licking over his thumb. 

 

She feels the shudder that goes through Barry’s body and it arouses her and makes her feel powerful all in one breath. 

 

“That’s really good,” her voice is low and rough. “Is this on the regular menu?”

 

Barry simply nods, his hand still near her mouth since she hasn’t let go of his wrist. He takes a chance, emboldened by the look on her face, and brushes his thumb over her bottom lip. Iris darts her tongue out and it brushes the pad of his thumb again. 

 

With a little trepidation, Barry turns his hand to cup the side of her face slowly brings her lips to meet his. He’s grateful that he’s tall enough to reach over the bottles in the bar well. She tastes sweet and salty and he groans against her mouth, his tongue licking lightly at her bottom lip. 

 

He nips lightly at her top lip and her mouth drops open, allowing their tongues to meet, tentatively at first, until Iris bites his bottom lip. Her teeth sinking into his lip makes him want to vault himself over the bar, maybe push her into is and kiss down her jaw, do his best to give her a hickey at the curve of her neck. 

 

The kiss grows in fervor, alternating licks and groans, and bites, until Iris pulls back, gasping for air. 

 

She smiles widely at him, her fingers coming up to brush the bit of wicked red, that lingered on her lips after dinner, from his own. 

 

She sits back looking around the now empty restaurant wondering when that happened. 

 

“Are you still going to show me the kitchen?”

 

Barry leans away, tapping the bar lightly with his hands. “Are you going to finish your dessert first?”

 

Iris's breath catches and she shakes her head. “Where have you been hiding away, Barry Allen?”

 

He shrugs and pushes the plate towards her. “I’m going to go make sure the staff has finished final cleaning and prep for tomorrow. I’ll be back in a few. Don’t go anywhere.” He leans back over and kisses her chin before sliding briefly over her lips. “You should finish the bacon. I like the way it tastes on you.”

 

Iris lets out a breath she didn’t know she was holding as she watches him walk away. That little smirk of his signaling nothing but trouble. 

 

 

B&I B&I B&I

 

“You know,” Iris begins, “I’ve toured a number of restaurant kitchens, and they’re basically all the same, but this one is like out of a sci-fi movie. What even is some of this stuff?”

 

Barry laughs. “There really isn’t anything space age-y about this stuff. I mean that ” he points to the middle griddle, “is a stove top. I know you’ve seen that before. And that,” he points to the far end of the kitchen, “is the expediter’s area where all the food gets a final check. Nothing out of the ordinary.”

 

“Barry,” her tone is playful with just a hint of a sharp edge; it sends a shiver through his body. “I’ve never seen a charcuterie station like that or lights like these, or—” she pauses and spins in a little circle, taking it all in. “Anything like this. It’s really amazing. You should be very proud of it all.”

 

Barry nods. “I am. A lot of this is a collaboration between Cisco and me. He’s incredible at designs and understanding how things should flow. Couldn’t have done this without him, wouldn’t even have thought about it, to be honest.”

 

Iris nods and walks closer to Barry. “So,” she pushes a wavy lock behind her ear, “should I thank Cisco for having you come out and talk to me?”

 

“Maybe,” he shrugs walking into her. She’s petite, even with heels on and he finds he likes looking down into her bright brown eyes; he likes the angle her neck makes when she looks up at him. 

 

“Mhmm,” she leans into him, reaching up on her toes to kiss his chin, happily delighted when he brings his lips down to hers once more. There is no hesitation this time, no gentle teasing. He pulls her into him, her body flush against his own, and swallows the needy sounds that fall from her lips.

 

He dips and grabs her around the waist, lifting her to the nearest flat surface making their height difference a little more equitable. She takes a sharp breath in when he sets her down, the stainless steel prep table cold through the thin layer of the dress.

 

“Sorry,” he mutters lightly against her jaw before capturing her lips again. Their kisses vacillate between sweet and consuming. It feels like Barry wants to know every spot that makes her quake, what makes her moan and shiver against him, what makes her wrap her legs around his hips and pull him in close.

 

That particular moment has Barry pulling away and cursing lightly. She slides to the edge of the prep table, her ankles locked around him, pressing them intimately together. 

 

“Iris,” he stutters as she lifts slightly off the prep table to push herself more insistently against him. “I really don't want to do this in the kitchen when I have a perfect bed you'd look great in not a block from here.”

 

Iris leans away from him and chuckles. “Are you always this smooth, Barry Allen?”

 

“Never,” he answers quickly helping her down from the prep table. “Honestly, I'm never this together or—forward. I've never been happier that Cisco forced me out of the kitchen tonight.”

 

He leans down and kisses her softly. “Maybe I'll send him a fruit basket.”

 

B&I B&I B&I

 

They burst through the door of Barry's apartment, a tangle of limbs and lips and hands pulling at zippers and buttons and clasps. 

 

Barry’s apartment is just a scant block from the restaurant, but the walk takes them longer than anticipated. They stop every few feet to kiss and touch one another; Barry at one point pushes Iris up against the side a building, just needing to feel her body against his again.

 

Once they’re finally—finally—in his apartment, he grabs her up in his arms and holds her body between his and the closed door. 

 

“Barry,” Iris murmurs as his lips trail down her neck. Her hands are busy trying to remove the button down shirt he revealed beneath his chef’s jacket. It’s a shade of blue and green and does magnificent things to his eyes. 

 

His hands grasp her firmly under her ass, lifting her higher around his waist. 

 

“I promised you a bed,” he dips down and licks along the line of her neck before biting lightly. Iris shudders against him and he simply can’t hold in a grin.

 

“Yes, you did. Something about how good I’d look in it, or something?” Iris takes pride in the fact that his steps falter just a bit. 

 

“Mhmm,” his face is still in the crook of her neck and she’s a little concerned about him bumping into something, but not enough to get him to move.

 

Suddenly, Iris is on her back, a plush mattress beneath her. The scent of sandalwood hits her as she stretches and watches Barry’s eyes grow darker. 

 

He sheds his unbuttoned shirt and undershirt hastily as he watches her sit up on the bed and reach for the zipper on the side of her dress. 

 

She maneuvers the dress up over her head, wiggling from side to side, which makes Barry laugh and grin in that way that’s starting to make Iris a little delirious.

 

She pulls him down to her once he’s shed his shirts and pants. They groan together as they press against one another—sex to sex through the cloth of their underwear. 

 

Barry moves her further onto the bed before pulling back, dropping to his knees at the edge of the bed. He slowly slides her panties down her legs, his fingers trailing down her thighs on the way down and the way back up. 

 

He trails bites along the inside of each thigh—left then right—holding onto her squirming legs as tightly as he dares.

 

“Barry— _ah_ —no more teasing, please,” Iris whimpers.

 

Barry brings his lips to her center, his tongue running slowly up her slit. Her salty-sweet combination makes him growl against her wet sex. 

 

He doesn’t hurry. Even though Iris’s hands are in his hair, her back bowing off the bed to pull him closer to her, her legs restless beneath his roaming hands. He savors her. He enjoys each mewl, each breathy moan that he coaxes from her lips. When he slips a finger into her and she clenches around the digit, he turns his head and bites the uppermost part of her thigh.

 

It’s enough to set Iris off, her whole upper body coming off the bed as she comes around him, her voice unsteady and ready.

 

“Oh _god_ ,” she whispers as his lips move up her torso to he breasts. He licks under the left before taking her swollen nipple into his mouth. A second finger joins the first inside her and she squeezes him tighter—he bites down harder against her nipple.

 

“S-so much. _Barry_ —too— _Barry_!”

 

She pulls him by the shoulders until his mouth meets hers. Her hips set a wicked rhythm against his hand, his thumb now brushing against her swollen clit. 

 

“Now, Barry. Please,” she begs against his lips. 

 

“Yeah?” he asks tentatively, and it’s ridiculously cute. His fingers haven’t stopped pumping into her, he’s got her so on edge she’d probably do anything he wanted, but he still stops to ask—still not totally sure.

 

She squeezes her inner muscles around his fingers and delights in the way his eyes go hazy and unfocused. “Yes, Barry. Yes, I’m sure.”

 

He slips his fingers from her, regretfully, but brings them to his mouth without any thought. He moves to his bedside table and yanks open the drawer and grabs a condom in such a hurry that it almost knocks the alarm clock off the top.

 

Iris giggles and sits up, taking the condom out of his hand and pulling him back to her. She pushes him flat against the bed and straddles his thighs, her hand going to his cock immediately. 

 

He’s thick and hard and she can’t resist bending down and swiping her tongue against the swollen head. 

 

Barry grits his teeth and takes the condom back from her. “None of that, or this is going to be over too fast.”

 

“Fast is good sometimes.”

 

“Maybe,” he remarks as he rolls the condom down his length, pumping himself twice before he lifts her over him. He groans as she steadily lowers herself; even through the condom, her heat is remarkable. “Maybe later we’ll do fast.”

 

Iris leans back and holds on to his thighs, thrusting herself against him—fucking him. 

 

Barry grabs the back of her knees, pulling her into him with each downward thrust she makes. A sheer layer of sweat pops up between her breasts and he desperately wants to lick it, but he likes her like this—head thrown back, ends of her hair brushing against his thighs—she’s using him for her own pleasure.

 

He thinks he’s never seen anything more beautiful. 

 

He lets one hand drift down her belly to the apex of her thighs. He unerringly finds her clit and rubs in short, precise circles. It throws her rhythm off, makes her lean forward and slam her hips against his more fiercely.

 

“ _Barry_ ,” he doesn’t think he’ll ever get over how she says his name in that moment. She looks at him wide-eyed, her mouth dropping open as she comes around him, clutching him so tightly he has to count to ten not to follow right after her. 

 

As she collapses into his chest, he turns them over and pulls her legs up around his waist, her heels digging into his lower back, but he couldn’t care less. 

 

He thrusts into her, his arms supporting her neck and shoulders to bring their lips together. He breathes against her mouth as he thrusts, not quite kissing; he just needs to have his lips taste some part of her. She’s his newest flavor addiction.

 

The hitch in her breath makes him smile. He brings a hand back to her center and zeroes in on her clit once more.

 

She shouts out his name and tosses her head back, coming once more around him. He bites down on her neck, on his favorite spot—again, as he comes moments later. 

 

“Wow—I mean, _wow_. Barry, that was—” he captures her lips, cutting off her train of thought. She pushes him away lightly after a little while. “At least let me catch my breath.”

 

He half groans, half laughs, as he moves off of her, kissing her jaw lightly. “I’ll be right back. Don’t go anywhere.”

 

“Ha,” Iris snorts and throws an arm over her eyes. 

 

He disposes on the condom, cleaning himself off, before returning to bed with a damp cloth. Iris hisses lightly as he gently cleans her, but gives him a grateful smile. 

 

They move to lie the right way in bed, instead of across the middle. He pulls her into his arms and sighs into her hair. She smells of honeysuckle. He’ll need to figure out some way to get that flavor into a dessert at the restaurant. 

 

“I can honestly say that this has never happened to me before.”

 

Barry pulls back and turns her slightly towards him. “For real?”

 

She laughs and rolls her eyes. “Not _that_ , just the whole, you know, meeting and being seduced by a chef thing. That’s brand new.”

 

“Oh, uh,” Barry pulls her back against him a little tighter. “Are you—is that—okay? I mean, I really don’t want this to be a one-time thing. You’re—you’re out of this world, Iris West, and I don’t ever do this type of thing. My work is pretty much my life. I’m not very skilled at the whole ‘getting the girl’ thing.”

 

“Don’t sell yourself short, Chef Allen. You’re exceptionally good at getting the girl. In fact, if you let me rest for a little bit, I’ll let you get the girl again in say, thirty minutes?”

 

Iris squeals when Barry’s teeth sink into her shoulder. “I do have a question though, what’s with all the biting?” She sits up quickly and looks down at him. “Not that I mind, god not even in the least, it’s really hot, but you just kept doing it. Like everywhere.”

 

Barry shrugs. “You taste good. Why wouldn’t I?”

 

Iris mutters a curse under her breath and throws a leg over him so she’s sitting over his hips.

 

“No break, I guess?” he groans as she slides her still slick center against his burgeoning erection.

 

“Oh no. I told you, you’ve spoiled me, Barry Allen. Consider this your punishment. Oh, and you’ll be making me breakfast in the morning.”

 

 

B&I B&I B&I

 

“I guess you really like this place, huh?” Felicity asks as she dips a Pomme Frites into the ketchup on her plate. “Aren’t you supposed to be doing a write up on that new fancy place over on tenth?”

 

“Mhmm,” Iris replies noncommittally, looking around the busy restaurant. 

 

Felicity turned to look at Oliver who simply shrugs, a smirk on his face. 

 

“You know I bought a base on the moon yesterday.”

 

“That’s great, Fe,” Iris replies automatically, her eyes still roaming around. “Wait, what?”

 

“You’ve been spacey since we got here. You didn’t even vaguely comment on Oliver’s tie choice today.”

 

Iris whips her attention to her friend’s fiancé and looks down at the tie she recognizes as one she bought for him several years back. It’s a hideous tie, bought as a joke, but he actually likes to wear it on occasion. Says it makes him more approachable.

 

“Yeah,” Iris runs her hands along the table cloth. “Sorry. I’ve been—”

 

“Hey, Iris,” Barry’s voice calls out from over her shoulder. 

 

She turns quickly. A smile breaking over her face that Barry quickly mimics. He sets the custom charcuterie board in the middle of their table before leaning down and capturing her lips in a kiss that leaves them both breathless and Iris’s table mates speechless. 

 

“Uh, guys,” Iris beams at Barry before turning to Felicity and Oliver. “I’d like you to meet my boyfriend, Barry. He’s the executive chef here. Barry, these are my friends Felicity Smoak and Oliver Queen.”

 

Felicity’s mouth drops open. “A lot makes sense now.” She turns shrewd eyes on Iris. “How long have you been seeing each other?”

 

“About a month now.”

 

“A month!” Felicity exclaims. “Oh, Iris Ann West, you’ve got some serious girl talk time to make up for. I mean, I almost immediately told you about Oliver and I sleeping together the first time—”

 

“Try the first five or six times,” Iris says, laughing at Oliver’s dumbstruck expression. 

 

Felicity’s face colors and she sets a placating hand over Oliver’s. “Nevertheless," she leans over Iris and offers her hand to Barry, “it's nice to meet you, Barry. You've got a great restaurant here, but more importantly, you're dating the best girl ever. I hope you know that.”

 

Barry blushes slightly and takes her hand quickly, before turning to Oliver and shaking his hand as well. “I do know that. Though, I have no problem being reminded of that fact.” Barry leans down once more and kisses Iris lightly. 

 

“Can you stay for a bit?” Iris asks softly. 

 

Barry nods and pulls out the chair beside her. He falls into easy conversation with Oliver, and Felicity leans over and whispers in Iris's ear.

 

“You know you're giving me every last detail as soon as possible, right?”

 

Iris smirks and looks over at Barry who turns and winks at her quickly before turning back to Oliver. “Yeah. He makes really good omelets, by the way.”

 

Felicity breaks into peals of laughter, carrying Iris right along with her as both Barry and Oliver shake their heads in wonder. 

 

_FIN_  

 


End file.
